The Gambia Maritime Administration has dismissed reports that four Gambian flagged ships are being held at Chinese seaports.

This comes after media reports regarding the repeated detention of Gambian flagged ships in China.

In response, the Maritime Office rejected the claims, describing the article as a “deliberate and coordinated campaign to discredit the achievements of The Gambia in its ship registry and instils fear among the shipping community in order to discourage ship owners from doing business with The Gambia.”

“This type of publicity is not unusual in the shipping industry, where attempts are made to discredit genuine and sincere efforts while spreading fear among potential partners. It may also be an attempt on the part of the publishers to coerce the GMA into enlisting its services to obtain verifiable and evidence-based information, for which they are not the only provider,” the office’s rebuttal statement said.

By Adama Makasuba